11:59
17.5.2014
Viktor Orban again calls for autonomy for Hungarians in Ukraine:
Orban renews autonomy call for ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine
Orban renews autonomy call for ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine
BUDAPEST, May 17 (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has renewed a plea for ethnic Hungarians in neighbouring Ukraine to be granted autonomy even after a similar call last week drew a diplomatic backlash.
"Ukraine can be neither stable, nor democratic if it does not give its minorities, including Hungarians, their due," Orban said on public television late on Friday. "That is, dual (Hungarian) citizenship, collective rights and autonomy."
Orban, re-elected in a landslide win last month, was reaffirming a call for autonomy for about 200,000 ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine that he made a week ago as he was sworn in as prime minister.
His comments prompted Kiev to summon the Hungarian ambassador for an explanation on Tuesday and drew criticism from regional heavyweight Poland, an ally of Hungary within the Visegrad Four grouping of central European nations.
"Ukraine can be neither stable, nor democratic if it does not give its minorities, including Hungarians, their due," Orban said on public television late on Friday. "That is, dual (Hungarian) citizenship, collective rights and autonomy."
Orban, re-elected in a landslide win last month, was reaffirming a call for autonomy for about 200,000 ethnic Hungarians in western Ukraine that he made a week ago as he was sworn in as prime minister.
His comments prompted Kiev to summon the Hungarian ambassador for an explanation on Tuesday and drew criticism from regional heavyweight Poland, an ally of Hungary within the Visegrad Four grouping of central European nations.
12:08
17.5.2014
Read the latest report from the OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine here.
"In Donetsk and Luhansk the situation remained volatile. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm."
"In Donetsk and Luhansk the situation remained volatile. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm."
12:09
17.5.2014
Tweet from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry:
12:10
17.5.2014
"Yesterday's meeting of the Donetsk Peoples' Republic government"
12:13
17.5.2014
Proposed amendments to the Ukrainian constitution would strengthen the prime minister.
12:14
17.5.2014
Meanwhile, in Kazakhstan...
12:46
17.5.2014
12:51
17.5.2014
Separatist leader in Donetsk says region will seek to join Russia. This via Interfax:
DONETSK, Ukraine. May 17 (Interfax) - The prime minister of the Donetsk People's Republic has said the latter plans to apply to Moscow
for joining Russia as one of its constituent territories.
"Of course, we are," Alexander Borodai told reporters when asked whether Donetsk region was planning to seek accession to Russia. "The logic of civil war means we can't waste a minute. We'll do this quite
hurriedly."
for joining Russia as one of its constituent territories.
"Of course, we are," Alexander Borodai told reporters when asked whether Donetsk region was planning to seek accession to Russia. "The logic of civil war means we can't waste a minute. We'll do this quite
hurriedly."
12:53
17.5.2014
Meanwhile, Gazprom says it is near a gas deal with China. This, vis Reuters:
MOSCOW, May 17 (Reuters) - Russian state-run Gazprom said it was still "one digit" away from finalising a 30-year gas supply deal with Beijing which is expected to crown Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China next week.
Russia has been in talks with China to supply it with 38 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year for more than a decade but the deal has been postponed repeatedly over price disagreements.
But with tensions high with the West over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis, Moscow is eager to divert some oil and gas from European markets, part of its wider push to Asia.
Last week, state China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) said that it and Gazprom had reached an agreement to sign a contract during Putin's visit but that the two sides had yet to iron out price differences.
Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller confirmed in an interview on state Rossiya 24 television that the talks were in the final stage and only centred around base price.
"There is just one question - it's ... a starting, base price in the price formula which, it's remarkable, has already been fully agreed upon with our Chinese partners," Miller told news show Vesti on Saturday with Sergey Brilev.
"It's a very little more - to put in only one digit, and a 30-year contract to supply 38 bcm of gas from East Siberia to China will be signed," said Miller.
About 80 percent of Gazprom's revenue comes from gas sales to Europe and analysts say that failure to clinch a deal with China, the world's top energy consumer, would expose its huge reliance on Western consumers and might strengthen Beijing's bargaining positions in the months to come.
Miller emphasized that the contract would be signed on mutually beneficial terms, adding that the sides had also agreed to start talks on a second route for Russian gas supplies to China after the current deal is signed.
Russia has been in talks with China to supply it with 38 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year for more than a decade but the deal has been postponed repeatedly over price disagreements.
But with tensions high with the West over Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis, Moscow is eager to divert some oil and gas from European markets, part of its wider push to Asia.
Last week, state China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) said that it and Gazprom had reached an agreement to sign a contract during Putin's visit but that the two sides had yet to iron out price differences.
Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller confirmed in an interview on state Rossiya 24 television that the talks were in the final stage and only centred around base price.
"There is just one question - it's ... a starting, base price in the price formula which, it's remarkable, has already been fully agreed upon with our Chinese partners," Miller told news show Vesti on Saturday with Sergey Brilev.
"It's a very little more - to put in only one digit, and a 30-year contract to supply 38 bcm of gas from East Siberia to China will be signed," said Miller.
About 80 percent of Gazprom's revenue comes from gas sales to Europe and analysts say that failure to clinch a deal with China, the world's top energy consumer, would expose its huge reliance on Western consumers and might strengthen Beijing's bargaining positions in the months to come.
Miller emphasized that the contract would be signed on mutually beneficial terms, adding that the sides had also agreed to start talks on a second route for Russian gas supplies to China after the current deal is signed.
13:17
17.5.2014
This just in from RFE/RL's News Desk:
The Ukrainian government held a second round of "national unity" talks aimed at de-escalating the crisis in the country's southeast.
No separatist leaders took part in the talks on May 17 in the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told the meeting his government is willing to give wide powers to regional administrations but will never allow the "dismemberment" of the country.
The roundtable talks are part of an OSCE-proposed road map to calm tensions ahead of Ukraine's May 25 presidential election.
In a May 17 statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Kyiv of using the talks as a "cover" for what it called "aggressive action" in the southeast.
It said Ukrainian government troops had attempted overnight to storm the town of Slovyansk in the Donetsk region, using air support and heavy artillery.
No separatist leaders took part in the talks on May 17 in the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told the meeting his government is willing to give wide powers to regional administrations but will never allow the "dismemberment" of the country.
The roundtable talks are part of an OSCE-proposed road map to calm tensions ahead of Ukraine's May 25 presidential election.
In a May 17 statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Kyiv of using the talks as a "cover" for what it called "aggressive action" in the southeast.
It said Ukrainian government troops had attempted overnight to storm the town of Slovyansk in the Donetsk region, using air support and heavy artillery.